The Archives of David Renton: A Guide
Collection Number: MS-3-23Processing by Christine Hiller and Kathryn Harvey, April-July 2003
Finding aid edited by Laurena Fredette and Kathryn Harvey, July 2003 and November 2006
Collection Level Description
Title: David Renton fonds
Dates: 1951-1993
Extent: 1.5 m of textual records. – ca. 3000 slides. – ca. 100 prints
Writer, director, actor, and producer David Renton was born in Geelong, Australia, in 1934. His career began as an actor with St. Martins Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, in 1951. In 1954 he immigrated to Canada, eventually becoming a Canadian citizen in 1966.
In Canada, Renton continued to work in the performing arts industry. In the 1950s, he worked for CBC doing special effects lighting and lighting design for television shows such as Howdy Doody and Front Page Challenge. He also appeared on radio and television, began acting in stage productions across Canada in 1958, and joined John Hirsch’s acting company at the Manitoba Theatre Centre in 1960. Three years later Renton moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to become a member of the first company of Neptune Theatre where he would perform in more than one hundred plays. Over the next four decades he made a name for himself in Canada in both the performing arts and amateur athletics communities. He died on 2 May 2006.
From 1965 to 1966 Renton traveled around the world to study theatre. He visited fifteen countries, thirty companies, and saw more than sixty productions.
Renton’s career further diversified during the 1970s and 1980s. He directed a youth theatre group called "Project 30" in Halifax in 1973; served as the acting artistic director of Neptune from 1977 to 1978; was the drama advisor for the Nova Scotia Department of Education; founded Portus Theatre Productions where he served as artistic director from 1976 to 1983; served as Artistic Director of the Stephenville Festival in Newfoundland in 1981; coordinated the Provincial High School Drama Festival in Halifax in 1986; and acted at the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, in 1980, and the Stratford Festival from 1984-1986. In the early 1990s he was involved with Upstart Theatre serving as director, sitting on the board, and acting in productions.
He also performed in film and television, appearing in The Neptune Factor (1973), Bluenose Ghosts (1974), Emily of New Moon (1999), and Russian Roulette (2001). As well, he served as the stand-in for Gordon Pinsent in The Shipping News (2001). As a resource person, Renton worked extensively within the Canadian theatre community and in schools on many facets of theatrical production. He was an active member of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) and the Canadian Actors' Equity Association (CAEA).
Renton also received acknowledgement for his work within the performing arts community. In 1955, he received an award for bravery in filming "Hurricane Hazel" in 1954. In 2003, he was awarded the Robert Merritt Achievement Award for his contributions to theatre in Nova Scotia. More recently, in 2004, the Maritime Chapter of ACTRA presented him with the ACTRA Award of Excellence, which was then renamed the David Renton Award of Excellence, in recognition of his contributions to the organization.
Renton also made valuable contributions to Canadian amateur athletics. He was the chairman of the Team Liaison for Skate Canada, which was held in Halifax in 1983 and later the production coordinator of the 1987 Canada Winter Games held in Sydney, Nova Scotia. In 1990, he was chairman of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies Committee for the World Figure Skating Championships held in Halifax.
David Renton and wife Karine had two daughters, Rachel and Bea.
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All the material in this fonds was donated to Dalhousie University by Mr. Renton from 1990 to 1994.
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The fonds consists of records relating to Renton's personal life, his acting and teaching careers. The personal papers include files on specific actors; committee work, unions and associations; athletics; clippings and publications; festivals and workshops; financial records; Portus Theatre Productions, the production company he founded; school-related theatrical education materials; and a variety of other subjects. Correspondence includes letters to, from, and about Renton and are primarily theatre-related. The scripts were accumulated by Renton throughout his career as an actor, director, and producer. The fonds also includes photographs and slides of numerous theatrical productions.
Personal Papers / 1950s-1993
Correspondence / 1951, 1965-1975, 1981-1992
Scripts / 1970s-1980s?
Related materials can be found in the Neptune Theatre (MS-3-1), Theatre Arts Guild (MS-3-4), and Upstart Theatre (MS-3-34) collections.
See also the Donald Wetmore fonds at Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, Halifax, NS.
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[Identification of item], David Renton fonds, MS-3-23, Box [box number], Folder [folder number], Dalhousie University Archives and Special Collections, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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Combined Series and File Level Descriptions
Date:1950s-1993
Extent: 68 cm of textual records
Scope and Content:
This series contains information about individual actors; Renton's administrative contributions to organizing the 1987 Canada Games and the 1990 World Figure Skating Championships; clippings and publications, primarily theatre- and film-related; committees, associations, and unions to which Renton belonged; conferences and workshops; contracts, resumes, and awards; festivals and showcases; financial records and grant applications; memorabilia; Neptune Theatre; Nova Scotia Drama League; Portus Theatre Productions; production-related materials; programs and invitations; school-related materials; theatre companies and university theatre departments.
Arrangement:
The files in this series are grouped by subject. Subjects are listed alphabetically, and the files are then arranged chronologically within each subject unless otherwise indicated.
File Level Descriptions
Boxes 2, 3, 4
Actor Information (Arranged alphabetically)
Folder - 3.20
Various Actors
Includes Roy Cameron, Shaun F. L. Clarke, Paulina Gillis, Peter Gold, Stephen Harrison, Sarah Ann Hayward, John Hergel, Gregory Hertel, Sten Hornborg, Larry R. J. Jones, Todd Postlethwaite, Dena Simon, Carol Sinclair, Peter Small, Susan Stackhouse, Ron Wheatley, John Wylie.
Folder - 2.18
Martin, Michelle
1989
Folder - 2.17
Medley, Jack
ca. 1980s
Folder - 3.8
Neville, John - Pictures in performances of Othello
ca. 1980s
Folder - 3.19
Randall, Tony
ca. 1980s
Folder - 4.2
Stagg, Barry
1979-1982
Folder - 2.19
Wolff, Brian
1989
Boxes 1, 3, 4, 5
Athletics
Folder - 4.1
Skate Canada - Program
1983
Folder - 1.11
Canada Games - Meeting reports and order of ceremonies
1987
Folder - 4.33
Mark Hamill's Universal Olympic Fitness Magazine (includes personal note from athlete on cover)
1987
Folder - 1.12
Canada Games - Closing ceremonies script
1989
Folder - 5.3
World Figure Skating Championships (WFSC) - Program from "Women of Recognition Dinner" (Chairperson of WFSC 1990 nominated), program, photographs, costume sketches
1990
Folder - 4.8
World Figure Skating Championships - Program draft, materials relating to the history of figure skating
1990
Folder - 3.27
Skate Canada - Correspondence, administration notes, memos, etc.
1993
Boxes 1, 2, 4, 10
Clippings and Publications
Folder - 10.8
Theatre-related (predominantly)
1950s-1990s
Folder - 10.9
Theatre-related (predominantly)
1960s-1990s
Folder - 1.2
Student theatre
1974
Folder - 4.29
Canadian Theatre Review
1976, 1981
Folder - 1.5
Theatre-related clippings and notes
1977, n.d.
Folder - 4.28
Arts: Bulletin of the Canadian Conference of the Arts
September/October 1977
Folder - 1.3
Theatre-related clippings and press releases
1977-1978
Folder - 2.5
Alberta Report article on Citadel Theatre production of "Hey Marilyn"
1980
Folder - 1.4
Theatre-related clippings
1980-1986
Folder - 10.14
"Supporting Stratford's Role," Financial Post
1983
Folder - 4.30
Fanfares: A quarterly publication for members of the Stratford Festival
1984
Folder - 4.27
Action: Guide to Film and Television Production in Canada
1990
Boxes 3, 4, 5, 10
Committees, Associations, and Unions
Folder - 3.4
Nova Scotia Professional Artists' Association (?) page of minutes from unknown meeting and 1967 NS Societies Act
1967
Folder - 5.14
Alliance of Canadian Cinema Television and Radio Artists Membership list
1981
Folder - 10.6
Canadian Actors' Equity Association newsletters
1980s
Folder - 4.9
Yarmouth Arts Regional Council, "Brief to Federal Cultural Policy Review Committee"
1981
Folder - 4.7
United Way Fund-raising Halifax-Dartmouth Metro Area Campaign Cabinet
1987
Boxes 2, 3, 10
Conferences, Congresses, and Workshops
Folder - 3.1, 10.11-12
Nova Scotia Cultural Policy Conference
1983
Folder - 2.15
International Theatre Congress
1986
Boxes 1, 2, 5
Contracts, Biographical Information, and Awards
Folder - 1.1
Actors' Equity Association contract
1967
Folder - 1.8
Cvs and biographical materials
1980s
Folder - 2.2
Certificates and Awards
1980s
Folder - 2.6
Contracts
1976-1977, 1989
Folder - 5.15
Contract with Shaw Festival
1981
Boxes 1-5
Festivals and Showcases
Folder - 2.13
Pamphlet on Joseph Howe for unknown festival
n.d.
Folder - 4.4
Stratford Festival - Promotional publication, Stage One: The Future
1977
Folder - 3.23-24
Shaw Festival - Correspondence, front of house manual
1980, [1980?]
see also Contracts file above
Folder - 4.3
Stephenville Festival - Clippings, production notes, cast and crew information
1981
Folder - 2.8
Dalhousie - Rebecca Cohn Choreographers' Showcase
1983?
Folder - 5.1
Stratford Festival Workshop materials for The Misanthrope
1984
Folder - 4.5
Stratford Festival - Information booklet for Stratford Company members
1985
Folder - 2.11
Halifax Skating Club - Leaflets
1986, 1988
Folder - 1.7
Atlantic Film Festival - Programs
1990, 1992
Folder - 2.4
Charlottetown Festival - Anne of Green Gables - includes production notes, correspondence, and photographs
1991
Boxes 2, 10
Financial Records and Grant Applications
Folder - 10.7
Applications, correspondence, and related materials for Canada Council grant and travel opportunities
1976-1979
Folder - 2.14
Income Tax
1981-1983
Box 5
Memorabilia
Folder - 5.16
Prints of drawings of Stratford, ON by Peter Whelan
1971
Box 2
Neptune Theatre
Folder - 2.26
Props list for Four Aloud
1967
Folder - 2.21
Promotional materials
1970s and 1980s
Folder - 2.22-23
Halifax Students Theatre Company, Project 30 (includes scrapbook)
1973
Folder - 2.24-25
Board of Directors meeting minutes and related papers
1977-1978
Box 3
Nova Scotia Drama League
Folder - 3.2
A Memoir of the Nova Scotia Drama League by Donald Wetmore
1976
Folder - 3.3
Callboard
1977, 1988-1989
Box 3
Portus Productions
Folder - 3.11-12
An Evening with Oscar Wilde - Clipping, poster, and financial records
1976
Folder - 3.16
Puss in Boots press kit
1976-1977
Folder - 3.14
Material relating to incorporation
1977-1978
Folder - 3.15
Activities reports, Board of Directors lists, and miscellaneous items
1975-1977, 1982
Folder - 3.16
Production Material, You Whom I Love
1982
Folder - 3.10
Annual General meetings
1982-1983
Folder - 3.13
Grant applications and related materials
1981-1982
Boxes 2-5
Production-related Materials (Miscellaneous)
Folder - 2.9, 4.6
Theatre New Brunswick - A Christmas Carol
1980
Folder - 3.18
Posters - Historic House Party, Creeps
n.d., 1982
Folder - 3.21
Review by Robert Merritt - The Seagull
[1978]
Folder - 3.25
Black River Miracle
n.d.
Folder - 3.26
Madeira M'Dear investment/public relations notes package
ca. 1984
Folder - 5.2
Research material related to An Evening with Oscar Wilde
ca. 1970s
Boxes 1, 2, 10
Programs and Invitations
Folder - 10.10
Halifax West High School graduation program (Renton was guest speaker)
1974
Folder - 2.16
Invitations
1985, n.d.
Folder - 1.13
CBC Radio Guide
January/February 1986
Folder - 2.1
Invitation to re-opening of Capitol Theatre Arts Centre and Opera House in Lunenburg, NS
1993
Boxes 1-4, 10
School-Related Materials
Folder - 2.3
Children's Theatre - Bibliography
n.d.
Folder - 3.9
Children's poetry
n.d.
Folder - 2.12
High School Theatre Project
1967
Folder - 3.22
School Drama Training Program
1968-1969
Folder - 10.5
A Practical Guide to Drama in the Secondary School by David Self
1975
Folder - 1.9
Calgary Board of Education curriculum guides
1976, 1981
Folder - 4.32
Lighthouse: The Atlantic Journal for Teachers, Series 2, volume 1, number 4
Summer 1977
Folder - 4.31
"Theatre Arts in the Schools of Nova Scotia," by Renton in Journal of Education, volume 6, number 3
1979-1980
Folder - 3.7
Ontario Ministry of Education - Dramatic arts curriculum guidelines for the Intermediate and Senior Divisions
1981
Folder - 3.6
Pandora's Box - Publication of the Nova Scotia Teacher's Union
1982
Folder - 1.14
Cantebury High School, Arts Cantebury
1983
Folder - 2.10
Halifax School Board, Department of School Libraries One Act Plays Collection
1989
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Date:1951, 1965-1975, 1981-1992
Extent: 7 cm of textual records
Scope and Content:
The correspondence includes letters from, to and about Renton. The majority pertains to various aspects of the theatre. Some letters include clippings and related materials.
Arrangement:
Files are arranged chronologically.
File Level Descriptions
Folder - 4.10
David White from Betty Frome
1951
Folder - 4.11
1965
Includes: T.B. Hendry, Executive Secretary for the Canadian Theatre Centre; List of National Centres of the International Theatre Institute; Eva Marie Duday, Secretary of the German ITI Centre; Larry McCance, Canadian Representative for the Actors' Equity Association; Will Thompson, Assistant to the Executive Director for the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust; H.J. Russell, Secretary for the Australian National Advisory Committee for UNESCO; John Summer, Administrator of the Union Theatre Repertory Company; Mrs. Dorothy White, from Jill Warwick, Producer for the General Television Corporation.
Folder - 4.12
1966
Includes: Publishers of the Player's Guide for 1966; Mrs. Elizabeth Manuge; Mrs. William Outhit; Two newspaper clippings
Folder - 4.13
1967
Includes: Heinar [Piller]; Mr. O'Dell at the Actors' Equity Association; Ken Kramer, Director of the Globe Theatre, Regina, Saskatchewan;
Folder - 4.14
George Ryga
1969
Folder - 4.15
Postcard from Pamela Foster
1971
Folder - 4.16
Thank-you card from Lisa Vaughan
1972
Folder - 4.17
1973
Includes: Leon Major, the Theatre Company, Toronto; Mary-Dean Newhook.
Folder - 4.18
James, at the Theatre Antogonish
1975
Folder - 4.19
1981
Includes: Cheryl Stagg at the Stephenville Festival; Press release about the Stephenville Festival.
Folder - 4.20
Arts Funding Controversy
1982
Subject file containing correspondence relating to arts funding.
Folder - 3.5, 10.13
Provincial government
(1982 and n.d.)
Folder - 4.21
Cheryl Stagg, Stephenville Festival
1983
Folder - 4.22
1984
Includes: Michael B. Sherar; Shaun F. L. Clarke.
Folder - 4.23
Yuki Saegusa at the International Management Group
1989
Folder - 4.24
Cindy Riley at the Confederation Centre of the Arts
1991
Folder - 4.25
1992
Includes: Gail R. Benn at the Actors' Equity Association; Chris Marston, Executive Director of the Canadian Actors' Equity Association; M. Lee Cohen at the MacInnes Wilson Flinn Wickwire Barristers and Solicitors; Jacquelines Warlow at the Nova Scotia Head Injury Association; Michael at the Theatre New Brunswick.
Folder - 4.26
John Hirsch
n.d.
Folder - 4.26
Heinar [Pillar]
n.d.
Folder - 4.26
Janet Thomson
n.d.
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Date:1970s-1980s?
Extent: 75 cm of textual records
Scope and Content:
This series contains scripts, primarily from performances with which Renton was associated.
File Level Descriptions
Folder - 10.15
The Actor's Nightmare by Christopher Durang
Folder - 10.16
The Alchemist by Ben Jonson
Folder - 10.17
Any Wednesday by Muriel Resnik
Folder - 5.17
Anything Goes by Cole Porter
Folder - 5.18
Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw
Folder - 5.19
Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring
Folder - 5.4
Ashes by David Rudkin
Folder - 5.5
Babar the Elephant by Jean de Brunhoff and music by Francis Poulenc
Folder - 4.34
Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward
Folder - 5.6
The Boy Actor
Folder - 4.35
Cabbages by Mike Paterson
Folder - 4.36
Candida by George Bernard Shaw
Folder - 6.1
The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Berthold Brecht
Folder - 5.7
Christmas Carol by Susan Monatgue
Folder - 6.2
The Collected Works of Billy the Kid
Folder - 6.3
Country Chorale by Raymond Storey
Folder - 6.4
Creeps by David Freeman
Folder - 6.5
Curtains by Gloria Gonzalez
Folder - 6.6
Cuthbert's Last Stand by Dwayne Brenna and Victor Young
Folder - 6.7
Cubistique
Folder - 6.8
Debut and Encore
Folder - 6.9
Demonicus the Inquisitor by Ivan Blake
Folder - 6.10
A Doctor in Spite of Himself
Folder - 6.11
The Dresser by Ronald Horwood
Folder - 6.12-15
Enoch Arden by Alfred Tennyson
Folder - 7.1
An Evening with Oscar Wilde by David Renton
Folder - 7.2
An Evening with Ted Russell adapted by Tom Cahill
Folder - 7.3
The Events Leading Up To My Death by Bill Hewat Robertson
Folder - 7.4
Execution by Peter Donat
Folder - 5.8
A Festival of Remembrance
Folder - 7.5
For Independence by Christopher Heide
Folder - 7.6
Fortune and Men's Eyes by John Herbert
Folder - 7.7
Glengarry Glen Ross by David Mamet
Folder - 7.8
Godspell
Folder - 7.9
The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol
Folder - 7.10
The Grace of Mary Traverse by Timberlake Wertenbaker
Folder - 7.11
The Green Crow by Sean Mulcahy
Folder - 5.9
Guys and Dolls
Folder - 7.12
The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden
Folder - 7.13
The Highland Heart of Nova Scotia by Donald Wetmore
Folder - 7.14
The House on Gray's Cove by E.M. Osborn
Folder - 7.15
The Incredible Murder of Cardinal Tosca by Alden Nowlan and Walter Learning
Folder - 8.1
The Kid by John Arnold
Folder - 8.2
Labrador Creative Arts Festival
Folder - 8.3
Liliom, by Ferenc Molnar
Folder - 8.4
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Folder - 8.5
A Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt
Folder - 8.6
Marat Sade by Peter Weiss
Folder - 8.7
A Memory of Two Mondays by Arthur Miller
Folder - 8.8
The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie (2 copies, one is a prompt script)
Folder - 8.9
My Three Angels by Sam and Bella Spewack
Folder - 5.10
Nina by André Roussin
Folder - 8.10
Oliver by Lionel Bart
Folder - 8.11
One of the Last Days of Schubert and Beethoven by F.G. Arnstein
Folder - 8.12
Our own particular Jane by Joan Mason Hurley
Folder - 8.13
Painting Churches by Tina Howe (3 copies, different editions)
Folder - 8.14
The Price by Arthur Miller
Folder - 8.15
Private Lives by Noel Coward
Folder - 9.1
Prophet of the New World by Barry Stagg
Folder - 9.2
The Proposal
Folder - 9.3
Puss in Boots by Pat Whitley and Mark de Wolf
Folder - 9.4
Reginald and Juliet by Hans Böggild
Folder - 9.5
The Rook by Laurence Osgood
Folder - 5.11
The Room (For Radio) by Barry Stagg
Folder - 5.12
The Room by Barry Stagg
Folder - 9.6
The Ruffian on the Stair
Folder - 9.7
Salt Cod and Pork Scraps by Hans Böggild
Folder - 9.8
Sea Marks by Gardner McKay
Folder - 9.9
September 14, 1759
Folder - 9.10
Seven Stories
Folder - 9.11
Sherlock Holmes and the Shakespeare Solution by Barney Gould and Peter Donat
Folder - 9.12-13
Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You by Christopher Durang
Folder - 9.14
The Snow Queen by Ray Whitley and Mark de Wolf
Folder - 9.15
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll by Ray Lawler
Folder - 9.16
Tartuffe or the Imposter by Molière, translated by Christopher Hampton
Folder - 9.17
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Folder - 9.18
The Property is Condemned by Tennessee Williams
Folder - 9.19-20
To the Editor, Sir by Arthur L. Murphy (original and revised versions)
Folder - 9.21
Walsh by Sharon Pollock
Folder - 5.13
When We Dead Awaken by Henrik Ibsen
Folder - 10.1
Woman in Mind by Alan Aychbourn
Folder - 10.2-3
Yankee Notions by Anne Chislett
Folder - 10.4
You Can't Take It With You by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
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